Conventionally, transfer apparatuses, which pick up an electronic component from a storage unit, place this electronic component on a carrying path, process the electronic component at each process point set on the carrying path, and eventually place the processed electronic component in another storage unit, have been proposed, and are in practical use in manufacturing processes of electronic components.
Example electronic components are a component applied to electrical products, and include semiconductor elements. Example semiconductor elements are a transistor, an LED, an integrated circuit, and further includes a resistor and a capacitor. Example storage units are a wafer sheet, a lead frame, an organic-based substrate, an inorganic-based substrate, an adhesive tray, a substrate, a parts feeder, and sorting bottles such as a tape provided with pockets, a tray, and a packing container. Example processes for electronic components at the each process points are a visual inspection, an adhesive application, an attitude check, a sorting, a forcible ejection of defective products, a mounting on a substrate, an electrical characteristic inspection, a temperature adjustment like heating or cooling, a shaping of a terminal extended from an electronic component, an attitude correction, and a marking, which are variable processes.
In particular, a transfer apparatus, which picks up a semiconductor element from a wafer sheet, a tray, a tape, or a parts feeder, turns over the picked-up electronic component, and bonds this electronic component to a lead frame or a mount substrate by an applied adhesive, is called a die bonder apparatus.
An example known type of such transfer apparatus includes pluralities of rotary tables and rotary pickups, supplies an electronic component by the rotary pickup, and transfers the electronic component at a position where holder units installed on the rotary table are arranged on a straight line, thereby forming a single carrying path (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).
A difference between the rotary table and the rotary pickup will be clarified below. Firstly, the rotary table is, for example, a turret table that is applied as a main carrying path. Secondly, in comparison with the rotary pickup, the rotary table has large size and weight in order to install a large number of process points for an electronic component. Thirdly, since a process unit that processes the electronic component is installed below the process point, the rotary table has holding means for holding the electronic component hanged so as to be orthogonal to the table plane. In contrast, firstly, the rotary pickup is applied to supply an electronic component to the main carrying path, and conventionally does not form a part of the main carrying path. Secondly, in comparison with the rotary table, the rotary pickup has small size and weight. Thirdly, the holding means for holding the electronic component is installed in parallel with the rotation plane, and the leading end of the holding means is always directed outwardly. That is, the rotary pickup is to supply the electronic component to the rotary table, while the rotary table forms the main carrying path for electronic components. Hence, the rotary table and the rotary pickup have different applications, types, and dimensions.
The transfer apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a pickup unit and a rotary table. The pickup unit and the rotary table each have pluralities of nozzles installed along the circumference so as to extend in the orthogonal direction to the circumference plane. Those pickup unit and rotary table are installed in the vertical direction so as to have respective overlapped outer circumferences, and transfers an electronic component between the overlapped portions. The pickup unit can turn over the nozzle by 180 degrees along with a horizontal rotation, receive an electronic component at the lower stage, and transfers the electronic component to the rotary table at the upper stage, thereby achieving a turn-over process.
In addition, according to the transfer apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, three or more rotary tables with different sizes are installed horizontally, and the holder units extend in the orthogonal direction to the circumference plane. This transfer apparatus also has the rotary tables installed in the vertical direction, and has overlapped portions at the outer circumferences.
According to the transfer apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 3, the holding unit that is a large-size rotary table is installed horizontally, while at the same time, the sucking unit that is a small-size rotary pickup is installed vertically. According to this transfer apparatus, also, the sucking unit is to supply an electronic component to the holding unit, and the holding unit is to receive the electronic component from the supply unit, and forms the main carrying path for the electronic component. Hence, those have different applications, types, and dimensions. However, this transfer apparatus also has the holding unit and the sucking unit installed in the vertical direction, and has overlapped portions at the outer circumferences.
As explained above, according to conventional transfer apparatuses that utilize the rotary table, the plurality of rotary tables are provided, and an electronic component is transferred at the position where the holder units provided on the respective rotary tables are arranged on a straight line. Accordingly, a type that forms a single carrying path inevitably has an overlap between the rotary tables.
As for transfer apparatuses, it is necessary to execute various types of processes, and an installation of a large number of process points on the carrying path may be desired. However, a location where the rotary tables overlap with each other has physical obstacles, such as the other rotary table and a motor, and an installation of the process point at such locations is difficult. Accordingly, when an attempt to install a large number of process points is made, an increase in dimension of the rotary table is unavoidable. In this case, a large space to install such transfer apparatus is necessary.
When the dimension of the rotary table increases, in order to achieve the rotation speed of the rotary table to be equal to or faster than a certain speed, a large motor is necessary. Hence, the necessary space to install the transfer apparatus further increases. In addition, when a large motor is not applied, the rotation speed of the rotary table inevitably decreases.